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I see them every single day: Neatly-knotted plastic bags of all colors, sometimes 鈥渄iscreetly鈥 tucked by a trailside boulder, atop a marker post, or, in the most egregious cases, right in the middle of the trail. On my local trails and in the backcountry, abandoned dog-poop bags can seem more common than un-scooped poop. This needs to end.
, perhaps you鈥檝e been tempted to ditch their doodoo, telling yourself you鈥檒l circle back for it later. Sure, I鈥檝e been tantalized鈥攍ike when my dog has a particularly stinky elimination at the least convenient part of a hike (on our neighborhood jaunts, she likes to time it for after we鈥檝e passed the dumpster but before we鈥檝e actually gotten to the trail, maximizing the time I鈥檒l have to carry it). But even when it means toting a putrid package for miles on end, I pack out the dog poop. Because not only is it likely I鈥檒l forget to pick up my trash on the hike out, but also because other hikers shouldn鈥檛 be subject to staring at my garbage, even if it鈥檚 only there for an hour.
In my opinion, leaving a bagged turd on the side of the trail is even worse than not picking it up in the first place. Plastic bags are more visually intrusive than naked droppings, which tend to blend in with the ground. (Mind you, I鈥檓 not condoning this sort of neglect either. And forget the 鈥渙ther animals poop outside!鈥 nonsense鈥攄eer and coyotes are native, your pup isn鈥檛.) As a community, hikers have largely gotten over . You wouldn鈥檛 drop your crushed beer can or candy wrapper on the ground. Why are doggy bags any different?
鈥淚鈥檒l just pick it up later,鈥 you may say. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 the harm in that?鈥 Temporarily littering is still littering, and your actions signal to others that it鈥檚 OK to do so. The cumulative effect of multiple poop bags degrade the hiking experience for your fellow trail users. And let鈥檚 say you do forget to circle back for that bundle. It鈥檒l take much longer to decompose than unbagged excrement (). Perhaps you justify the act by telling yourself that at least someone won鈥檛 step in bagged waste, but a spoiled view is just as unpleasant as a dirtied boot sole.
Backpackers pride themselves on going days without a shower, sleeping in the dirt, drinking river water, and doing our . So why do we have such a problem carrying some dog poop? In a sealed plastic bag? If properly picked up, carrying your dog鈥檚 poop for a few miles poses no health risk鈥攁nd if you stow it properly, should cause little to no noticeable odor. From licking salsa off a shelter floor to comparing blisters, I鈥檝e seen hikers unflinchingly do much grosser things.
I get it: it can be plain inconvenient to carry out a bag of poop, especially on hikes where you need to keep your hands free. I鈥檝e had to get creative, lashing poop bags to my bike handlebars or carabinering them to the outside of my pack. Hikers are inventive. If you can jerry-rig a broken tent pole or treat a sprained ankle, surely you can find a way to transport a bag of poo with you until it can be disposed of.
If you follow the first principle of Leave No Trace (), you won鈥檛 need to enlist that creativity. Poop is inevitable, and every dog owner should have a plan to dispose of it before bringing their pooch along for a hike. No excuses.
If carrying those extra few ounces by hand or shoving it in next to your first aid kit is too much for you, I鈥檒l offer some solutions: Designate a fanny pack or a pocket of your pack as the poop compartment. Bagged poop shouldn鈥檛 leak, but if you still get the ickies, line that pocket with a trash bag or a dedicated, lightweight dry bag. If you really want to go hard on odor blocking, carry an empty coffee bag or some
Even better? Get your pooch a backpack. If you don鈥檛 want to carry out your dog鈥檚 excrement, make them do it! Your pup won鈥檛 mind the smells, and can also carry their own water and treats.
If you still feel tempted to ditch that plastic bag trailside? It鈥檚 time to find a dogsitter, and hit the trail by yourself instead.